45JI 


1/      I      I  U   -|     I     I- 


THE  FRENCH  SOLDIER. 


From  a   letter  of  M.    L>c  Pres^ense  of  Paris. 

At  the  time  when  the  Fscnch    sol  -icM  w-re    cmbirldnir    for 
tho  S(int  of  war  in  the    Cnme;i,   i  Bi'>le-c  )i;)0>-ti'ii:-    sought  and 
obtaip.CHl  i>etini>sion  to    c«^i»vtT.-e  with    tlic  inrn  of  one   of   the 
rcgiiivents  tiiat  were  prt'p.-ning  to  depart.      While    smroundcd 
in  the    fo:  e-coui  t  of  the  hvrr^M-ks  hy  the-^e  war  ions,  the  colpor- 
teur, speal.inp;  of  ih.-  VaUie  of  the  ho  y  Scriptures,  was  address* 
cd  hy  a  young  soldier  of  a   frank   and  intelligent   countenance* 
*Tliev  have  oo!i\inced  me,'' said    the   young  tnnn,    in  a  gentle 
tone/'ol  the  ncees^^itv  (.f  g.-ttinjr  the  word  of  G^.d  ;    hut  alas," 
continued  he,  with  a'deep  sigh. "I  hive  notaccmune  wherewith 
to  make  this  preciovis  puJchiM'."     "Th  it  need  not  signify,"  the 
colporteui- (juicklv  replied  ; -'if  you  have    so    great  a   desire  to 
possess  a  copy,  it  shall  not  he  sari  that  a  Chistian  Hllowed  you 
to  go  awny  to  a  foreign  sliorc   without   giving    you    orie,    even 
should  it  i)e  at  njv  own  expense."  Then  dni^i;  g  a  New  Te.-ta- 
moot  out  of  his  pack,  he  h  mde  I  it  to  the    soldier.     But    what 
was  his  surprise  an<l  grief  when  the  youo'r    man    bruke   imo  a 
loud  laugh,  saying,  "You  are  dor^e,  my  fine  fellow.     I  am  Jester 
nuuduM- "one  -f  the  rciriment  ;  ask  n>y  cornra<les.     It  is  us  clear 
as  the  sun  th.it  >hines,  thnt  I  have  ni?ide  a  fool  ofyou.     When 
1  am  dead,  do  you  see— 'lie  was  proceeding  with  a  flow  of  pro- 
fane language,    when    the  col po' tour  stopp.  d    him    by   siying, 
'*Afterd^';ith  the  mdgmeui  will  follow  ;  and  what  a  judgment! 
Listen  how  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  speaks:  'Depart  from  me,  ye 
cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,    prepared  for    iho   devil  and  his 
angel.s.," 

For  a  moment  the  youngr  poldier  reaped  to  laugh,  and  :ippeare<l 
a?  if  silenced,  but  is  levi  y  quickly  returned.  "Give  me  back 
the  book,"  sail  the  c^dporteur.  "Nay,  ray  old  fellow."  replied 
the  mocker,"!  should  be  ashamed  ^-o  to  affront  you  before  su'.-h 
a  retv0cia,blo  company  us  this  is.    What  wouUl  my  eoittnMi<« 


«^',  THE    i^'Kl'KCii    SuLHlKii. 

think  ofyou,  were  Ihcy  to  see  you  taking  back  with  your  left 
hand  the  present  wb.ich  your  rjg;ht  hand  had  just  offered? 
"i'our  book  will  be  of  uso  to  inc.  It  will  do  to  light  my  pipe." 
Then  making  the  rnilitjiry  sr.lute  in  a  grotesque  manner,  he 
M^'dkcd  away.  ''Lord,  forgive  liim,"  cried  the  colporteur;  *'he 
knows  not  what  he  does." 

Fifteen  months  passc^d  away,  when  the  colporteur  came  to  a 
village  three  hundreti  miles  away  from  the  spot  where  the  young 
soldier  had  taken  the  New  Testoment  fi-om  him.  He  entered  the 
kitchen  of  an  inn,  where  he  found  the  people  of  the  house  seat- 
ed in  deep  gv'ii^i  He  made  inquiry  as  to  the  cause  of  their  sor* 
row,  when  the  landlady,  with  many  tears,  said, "Only  a  few 
hours  ago,  and  my  son,  the  joy  of  my  life,  was  placed  in  the 
silent  grave  i  and  what  a  son  !" 

The  colpoi'teur  lis  ened  to  tlio  sad  sto)y  of  her  soLher  son  \ 
of  his  departure  to  the  wars,  and  his  return  to  die  in  his  inoth- 
cr's  arms.  He  felt  a  tender  intei'est  in  the  recital ;  and  to  abate 
her  grief  he  said,"Let  me  road  to  3'ou  a  few  lines  out  of  a  good 
book  ;  they  arc  suited  to  the  hour  of  sorrow.''  He  then  turned 
lo  several  passages  \shich  spoke  of  God  chastening  us  for  our 
profit,  when  the  woman  uttered  a  loud  ci-y  and  started  up  ;  but 
the  colporteur  proceeded  to  read  a  text  which  set  forLh  Christ 
as  the  great  iligh-priest  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  and  through 
whom  sinners  might  come  tKjlily  to  the  throne  of  grace,  to 
obtain  mevcj^  and  tind  grace  in  time  of  need. 

On  hearing  these  words  the  woman  caught  the  book  out  of 
his  hand.  "You  u'ickud  man,"  she  cried,"  you  have  taken 
from  me  the  most  precious  thing  I  have  still  remaining  of  him." 
Then  dropping  the  book  as  she  glanced  at  it,  she  added, "No, 
this  is  not  my  precious  volume  :  mine  is  torn,  but  this  is  per- 
fect.^' 

The  woman  quickly  left  the  room,  and  returned  bringing 
with  her  a  New  Testament  of  the  same  size  as  that  she  had  cast 
on  the  floor.  The  colporteur  opened  it,  when  to  his  astonish- 
ment he  saw  wiittcn  in  French,  on    the   inside,    these    words: 

'^JRece^ved  at ^the—day  of .Despised  at  first,  and  badly 

used  ;  hut  afterwards  read,  believed,  o.nd  made  the  infitrument 

g/  n}y  salvation.     I.  i.,  of  the  fourth  eomjpany  of  the reg- 

ment  cf  the  line.'''' 

Ill  an  instant  light  biokc  upon  the  mind  of  the   colporteur  : 
JJ[^^yijji^^^hj;,vcry  Tcbtameat  that  h^lj£on  takcn^by   the 


THE    FKKNOII    SOLDliaJ.  O 

younrj;  mocker?  Yes,  it  was  the  snmc.  On  closer  insj^cction 
svvcrnl  leaves  were  missinjr,  and  it  was  concluded  that  ihey  had 
been  tnken  to  lisiht  the  soMier's  pipe.  But  this  destroying  of 
the  book  had  been  wonderfidly  stopped.  Iho  col})orteur  made 
further  inquiries^  and  learned  from  the  bcrenved  mother  the 
most  pleasinp;  inteili-:enoe.  Her  son  had  told  her,  that  the  even- 
in.!;- before  a  battle  serious  thoughts  of  the  words  of  the  man 
whom  he  had  mocked  and  defr.iuderl  of  the  book  came 
suddenly  on  his  mind.  He  renicmb.'^rcd  his  w.irnings,  and  was 
troubled.  To  pacify  his  mind  he  took  from  his  knapsack  the 
sacred  Volume  which  had  become  his  accuser.  As  he  turned 
over  the  leaves,  what  Mas  his  a.-^tonishment  when,  instend  of 
threatenings,  his  eyes  fell  on  such  precious  truths  as  these: 
"God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world  to  condenm  the  woild, 
Imt  th;it  the  world  thron?;  it  b.im  mifrht  be  saved."  John  3:  17. 
"(."^ome  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labor  and  aie  heavv-laden,  and  I 
wil!  give  you  rest."     iMatt.  11.  :  2S. 

As  he  pondered  t\  is  last  passage,  tlic  sound  of  the  drum 
calle'l  him  to  fall  into  the  ranks.  In  a  short  time  he  was  eng- 
aged hand  to  hand  in  the  ba'tle.  It  was  a  deadly  struggle, 
and  many  were  the  dying  and  the  dead  that  lay  stretched  on 
the  ground.  At  its  close  our  young  soldier  was  among  the 
wounded  on  the  fieUf.  He  was  afterwards  found  by  his  com- 
rades and  cnrried  to  the  hosjiital  in  the  rcai*.  A  severe  wound 
now  placed  hiui  for  several  weeks  on  the  borders  of  the  grave. 
It  was  a  time  for  serious  lho\ight  and  prayer.  His  New  Testa- 
ment was  not  forgotted  ;  it  was  his  best  companion,  audit 
brought  conviction  and  ligtit  an<l  conifort  to  hisniiud. 

After  having  lain  for  soM)e  w«M-ks  i.i  a  b.o.-j  ;'al  in  a  foreign 
land,  he  came  home  to  his  parents' housr  ^)  die,  During  the 
time  that  he  spent  under  their  roof.  In-  jirew  iti  grace  and  the 
knowledge  of  Christ.  The  torn  TobMiient  v  .:i>;  ainiost  constan- 
tly in  his  hands.  Thiongh  the  teachings  oflhe  Holy  Spirit,  he 
saw  increasingly  his  need  of  a  Saviour.  Christ  was  all  his  sal- 
vation, and  all  his  desire.  Feeling  the  power  of  the  truth  him 
self,  he  entreated  all  who  visited  him  to  be  reconciled  to  God 
through  faith  in  the  divine  Kedccmor;  and  then  caludy  died 
in  the  hope  of  eveilasfing  life. 

In  this  brief  account  we  sec  thr power  ofdi-nine  truth.  Many 
a  man,  who  in  the  apparent  security  of  life  has  rejected  the 
Bible  and  jested  W4th  sacred  lliii!--,    has  turucU  pale   in    the 


It  ^  - 

4-  THE   I-KnNCIi    feOLDIKR.  ^5^1 

hour  of  danger,  ami  gladly  turned  to  ti>e  holy  book 
for  ligVit  and  ir.crcy,  "fs  not  my  word  like  as  a  (ire?  s;titli  the 
l;Ord  ;  and  like  a  hammer,  that  brcaketh  (he  rock  in  pieces V" 
Jcr,  28.  29.  Blessi'd  iue  those  who  art-  led,  by  any  nifans,  to 
receive  the  tr  ilh"f  God  in  hivmility. 

See  the  riche.'icfilivi'ne  iirace.  The  apostle  Paul,  who  wjis 
once  "a  hlafijhenier  and  a  piTsecn  or  jtnd  injurious,"  ohuiined 
inorcy  ;  and  ivt  he  alone  :  ninny  are  the  ^n.sUnces  of  the  tri- 
umphs of  redeeini!i<r  lo\e  in  the  hearts  at  men.  7'he  young 
Kiench  soldier  i.s  hfforo  us  a-  an  illu->tioU'i  case.  Jiut  li^t  isot 
sinners  abnsc  such  I'aets.  The  powe  of  Oil!  ist  r;ui  subdue  the 
infidelity  of  tiio  hfirricst  he.-irt,  and  his  precious  blood  cun  cleanse 
from  jdl-iu.  Yet  let  thv-JJi  t  ke  heed,  les.  they  be  left  to  go 
on  fiftei'  the  ways  of  their  own  hearts,  and  Mt  length  it  be  ii>\\d 
of  them,  "Behold,  yc  dcspisers.  and  wonder,  and  peribh."  Acts 
13:41. 


THE    LOST   FOUND 


1  Oh,  how  divine,  how  sweet  the  joy, 

When  but  one  sinner  turns, 
And,  with  a  humble,  broken  iieart, 
li is  sins  and  errors  mourns  ! 

2  Pleas'd  with  the  news,  the  saints  below 

In  songs  th  ir  tongues  employ  ; 
Beyond  the  skies  tlic  lidings  go, 
Andheav'n  is  fdi'd  with  joy. 

3  Wei!  pleas'd  the  fatht-r  sees  and  hears 

The  conscious  sinjier>  moan 
Jesus  receives  him  in  his  arms, 
Andclaims  him  for  hisowa. 

4  Nor  anrrels  can  their  joys  contain, 

But  kiridlo  «'ith  new  fire  : 
*'  The  siii'?er  lost,  is  found,"  they  slag, 
Aad  stiuke  tbo  souiKiins  lyre. 


Hollinger  Corp. 
pH8.5 


